1. Field of the Invention
The subject matter disclosed relates to a locator that can physically locate a device such as a phone in a communication network.
2. Background Information
Most commercial offices are configured to allow a plurality of computers to be connected to one or more servers in a network. The network may include a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN). The computers are typically linked to the network through a data port that is physically connected to a number of routing wires. Each computer has an associated network address. Each data port has an associated physical address. The network will typically have a router(s) and hub that route information directed to the network addresses of the computers to the appropriate physical addresses of the data ports.
Some computers also have modem boards that are connected to voice ports of a telephone network. Each voice port has a unique phone number to allow routing of incoming information transmitted through the phone network. The telephone network will typically have switches to route phone calls to the appropriate voice ports.
The server of the network may have a software program that allows an operator to correlate the network address of the computer with the physical address of the data port. This correlation allows the network router and hub to route information to the appropriate computer. Likewise, the switch(es) of the telephone network may have a software program that allows an operator to correlate a phone number with a particular a physical cable number associated with the voice port.
Commercial entities will periodically move employees to different office locations. This typically requires moving the employee's computer. Each time a computer is moved to a different location an operator must re-configure the server and/or phone switches to correlate the computer with the new data and voice port locations. Re-configuring the network is time consuming and adds to the cost of moving the employees. Additionally, the employee is unable to move the computer without seeking the assistance of an operator to re-configure the network. This limits the mobility of the employees and their computers. It would be desirable to provide a system and method that allows an end user to plug a computer into a network and have the network automatically re-configured without any operator assistance.
9-1-1 emergency systems are typically operated independent from public telephone systems. 9-1-1 systems do not have the capability to correlate phone numbers with physical locations of the caller. Consequently, a caller who is unable to communicate their physical address may not receive 9-1-1 assistance. The caller may be located at a large commercial building or campus so that even a street address may not properly convey the exact location of the caller. For example, the caller may be located at a building with multiple offices and floors. The caller may give the 9-1-1 service a street address and nothing more. The service provider, such as an ambulance service, must then figure out where the caller is physically located in the building. It would be desirable to provide a system that would allow a 9-1-1 service to readily locate the exact physical location of a caller.
Large commercial entities typically have a large number of computers, phones, printers, etc. which will be referred to as assets. To date there is not a practical system or method for keeping track of the existence and/or location of such assets. Asset management can be an important criteria particularly when the entity is trying to account for such assets. It would be desirable to provide an asset management system that can account for the existence and location of electronic assets such as computer, printers, etc.